Letters to Arthur
by ilovemovies19
Summary: Arthur desperately tries to fix his marriage, but will his love for two women tear his family apart?
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Inception**

**The Beginning**

As he walked down the post office, Arthur felt nervousness. He always did when he would get a letter sent from Ariadne. He missed her a lot and the only contact he had with her was through letters and pictures. Ariadne was still angry at him, and said that she didn't want phone calls but instead handwritten letters with pictures, she felt like if she had a closer connection to him that way. Arthur promised her that he would visit as soon as he retired from his job, and his daughter, Isabel was constantly asking about when they would go and visit her in Paris again. Arthur hurried home, and once he was there he ripped open the envelope to read what Ariadne wrote.

**Arthur, **

**I would like to let you know that I'm doing fine, and so is Karen. I celebrated her fourth birthday yesterday, and she is expecting your present. She looks just like you. She has your ears and your eyes but it looks like she is going to end being around my height. I know you promised me that you would come and visit soon with Isabel, but you don't have to. I'm fine with letters and pictures. How's Isabel doing? Does Jennifer see her often? I hope you're content with your life as well as I am with my own. I'm glad that you wished me well on my engagement to Henry. I hope you don't take too long to write back. **

**-Ariadne **

At the end of the letter there was a picture of both Ariadne and Karen, their daughter that he hasn't seen in four years. He sighed. He wished that he didn't have such a strained relationship with Ariadne, it could have worked out, and it would have been him engaged with her, instead of Henry, a man she has been dating for two years. He could have been living in Paris with her, Karen, and Isabel, his other daughter that he has with his ex-wife, Jennifer. He wondered how he ever got himself in such an awful situation. He was raising Isabel all by himself, Jennifer would rarely ever visit her, she only cared about her new family that she lived with outside of Manhattan. He never went on dates due to the fact that he couldn't tell anyone about his job; Ariadne was the only woman he dated that knew about it. He heard his daughter's voice, and smiled. He couldn't wait to retire so that he could happily move on with his life.

**4 years ago**

Arthur checked his watch, he was late again, and he knew Jennifer was probably waiting for him at the restaurant, and once again the night would end with an argument like always. He quickly rushed to a taxi and told the driver to take him to Rosas, his favorite Mexican restaurant. When he arrived, Jennifer was sitting a table by herself, drinking wine. As soon as she saw him she quickly tried to start an argument.

"You're late Arthur, by 15 minutes."

Arthur took a deep breath before sitting down. He knew it would be another one of those long dinners.

"I'm well aware of that, Jennifer."

Jennifer gave him a stern look, before taking another sip of her wine. "Well you obviously aren't aware of it, since you've been late for the past 5 dates that we have set up."

He quickly took another deep breath before saying, "I really don't want to argue with you right now. I just want to relax for once and-"

Jennifer quickly interrupted him and angrily said, "Well you can relax at home then because I'm leaving!"

She quickly grabbed her purse and left. Arthur just watched her as she stormed out of the restaurant. He looked down at the table and thought about his life in comparison to how it was a couple of years ago. He's hardly the man he was then, he softened up, or that's what Cobb would jokingly say. It's been three years exactly since he and the group performed Inception on Fischer, and while for the most part he's forgotten about it, there's something that keeps holding back, but he doesn't want to forget. He couldn't forget Ariadne. He used to have dreams about her, but they went away after he met Jennifer. However, his marriage to Jennifer was quickly falling apart and his dreams about her have been constant.

Arthur met Jennifer nearly a two months after the group went their separate ways, and after he relocated to New York City. While at first, he tried to use the relationship for his own selfish reasons, such as trying to distract himself from thinking about Ariadne, everything quickly changed. He suddenly noticed himself wanting to actually stay in a relationship with Jennifer which resulted in a quick marriage. After dating for nearly a year, they eloped, and later on welcomed Isabel. But not all good things last. He stopped caring for his marriage and suddenly he started dreaming about Ariadne again. Sometimes he wasn't sure if those dreams were real or not, but then he would quickly reassure himself about it. He didn't want to be miserable anymore, but he also didn't want to break his own family apart just because he couldn't put himself back together just because of Ariadne.

**So my inspiration for this story was one that I read here on this forum, and the flirty relationship that they both had in Inception, Please review ****J**


	2. Chapter 2

**Will Work For Love**

He left the restaurant and went home nearly two hours after Jennifer left; Arthur knew Jennifer would be infuriated that he didn't even bother to apologize. As he expected, the night ended with an argument. In the morning he finds himself in an apartment, confused he looks out the window, only to be shocked to where he is at. "Paris?" he mumbles. Arthur is startled when he hears a familiar voice.

"The view is beautiful, isn't it?"

He turns around and sees Ariadne standing behind him. Ariadne ignores him and continues talking, "You're having issues living normal, I understand that. Why aren't we in contact again?"

Arthur looks at Ariadne, nothing has changed about her since the last time he saw her. He felt safe around her, he loved her big brown eyes, there was something about them, and they showed a lot of warmth and kindness that would just put a big smile on his face.

"Is that a smile I see? Since when did Arthur smile?"

Arthur didn't realize what he was doing and quickly stopped. "Does it bother you?" he said in a flirty tone. He then heard a young child yell out, "DADDY!" He suddenly woke up to his daughter jumping on the bed. He felt almost angry at the fact that he was dreaming. At that moment Arthur wished he would have been with Ariadne, but he couldn't, because he was married.

"Where's mommy?! Where's mommy?" Isabel frantically kept asking. Arthur smiled at his young daughter. The only reason he didn't want a divorce was because he had hope that his marriage would work for Isabel's sake, but everyone knew it couldn't be fixed, everyone was just too afraid to say anything. Jennifer was rarely ever home, often leaving Isabel with her father, when Jennifer was home she would often ignore Isabel and go to straight to her bedroom, practically leaving Arthur to raise her on his own. He didn't realize he was spacing out until Isabel yelled; "Daddy!" and he quickly reassured his daughter by telling her, her mother was at work.

Ariadne walked around Paris early in the morning, as it was her usual routine. Even though she was living in France for years, she was always in awe at the beauty of the city. Occasionally she would think about that day three years ago. The day inception happened. No matter how hard she tried, it would always be on the back of her mind. After inception was performed the whole group disappeared. Ariadne went back to Paris to finish up school, but she couldn't bring herself to leave and decided to stay. She assumed that Cobb was probably in the states with his children and Arthur was still alone. _Arthur._ She smiled at the thought of him. She wished she would have kept in contact with at least Arthur but knowing his stubbornness, he probably would have refused to keep in touch.

By the time Ariadne was back at her apartment, she was thinking about him. She tried her best to remember what he looked like. He had dark brown eyes that would light up every time he would smile (which was rarely), they were quite beautiful. His hair was often slicked back and his face was clean shaven, and he would wear the nicest suits. She felt attracted to him for some odd reason, which she wasn't so sure of. All she knew was that the more she thought about Arthur, the more she would start missing him. _Missing him?_ Ariadne suddenly felt ridiculous for thinking that way about him. She hardly even knew who he was, they weren't even together. For all she knew, he could be married with children.

She was awoken by the sound of her phone at 3 in the morning. _Who's the idiot that's going to call me at three in the morning?_ She slowly got up and answered the phone only to be surprised.

"Is this Ariadne?"

"Cobb? How did you get my number?" Ariadne immediately recognized his voice.

"Do you think it's possible for you to move here?" He said with an uneasy tone. There was something going on.

"What's going on?"

"Arthur needs your help," Cobb blurted out before continuing with, "his wife left and I don't think he can handle the responsibility of a two year old with the job that he has."

She suddenly felt sadness and excitement. She was glad to hear that Arthur had a family but she also felt upset that someone that he probably cared so deeply about would just leave him without a care in the world. Without any hesitation, Ariadne agreed to help Arthur out. "I'll do it, as a matter of fact; I'll be there by Friday." She said goodbye to Cobb, and quickly started packing her clothes. She couldn't contain her excitement. She wanted to know how everyone was doing, how Cobb was with his children, but most importantly, how Arthur was. She then sighed and sat down. _He must be devastated._ Ariadne stared at the wall, thinking about what she was going to get herself into.

**This is my first time publishing a story, so I hope you all enjoy it, and please review :D **


	3. Chapter 3

**This Chapter is a little long :o **

**I Need You Now**

"You did what?!" Arthur angrily said to Cobb after discovering what he did. "I don't need anyone's help; I can take care of myself."

"Right, but how are you going to take care of Isabel? You're always going on business trips, so why not have someone that you actually trust stay at your house to help you around?"

Arthur gave Cobb a stern look. It was unbelievable that he asked Ariadne to help him out, he could take care of himself and his daughter, and he was going to prove it. "I can trust Ariadne? I don't even know her well enough to ask her to do a big favor for me like this. Jennifer is going to come back, she has to." Arthur then quickly left Cobb's house and drove to his home. He had too much on his mind. How was he going to explain to his daughter where her mother went? How was he going to convince Cobb to not let Ariadne stay at his house? How was he going to convince his wife to go back home to sort out their problems? _Shit! _He felt overwhelmed by everything that was happening, and thought that maybe it was a good idea that Ariadne would be willing to help him out.

The next morning Arthur was awoken after hearing a loud knock on his door. He quickly ran up to the door to open it, hoping it would be Jennifer, only to be surprised that it was Ariadne. He was in awe of her beauty. She still looked the same, but somehow her age has made her look more beautiful. He wasn't sure whether to give her a tight hug, or a handshake; instead he grabbed her luggage and let her in. They both stood around for a couple minutes before he spoke up.

"You really didn't have to come here. I don't even know who you are as a person, let alone to trust you with my daughter."

Ariadne smiled at him, "Well considering your job, I'm probably the only person that understands the situations you get put in. What I want to know is how Cobb was able to get a hold of me."

Arthur looked at her with a puzzled look. "You two weren't in contact beforehand?"

"Cobb said you already knew about it."

"He didn't tell me anything until yesterday." Arthur was more frustrated at the fact that his good friend lied to him, but he didn't have time, he had to show Ariadne around the house before going to a meeting about his next job that he had to do. A couple hours later he checked in to see how Ariadne was doing settling into the guest bedroom, and saw her struggling with her heavy luggage and went to help her when he noticed how much tension they still had when his hand accidentally touched hers, knowing everything just became awkward, he quickly left the room and went to sleep. Going to sleep wasn't going to stop him from thinking about Ariadne. He didn't want to admit that he liked her, because legally he was still married to Jennifer and he wanted to try and make his marriage work. "Ariadne is just here to help me, because my job makes me travel a lot." Arthur said to himself to reassure that everything would be fine, but deep down he wanted a relationship with her.

Ariadne lied in her bed, trying to reel in what happened. She liked Arthur; she always liked him, since the day that she met him. Who wouldn't? He was a handsome 27 year old. He had sharp cheek bones and thick dark brown hair that looked good no matter how he styled it. He was tall and slim. What surprised her though was that he settled down. She never expected it, especially from someone like Arthur. She remembered when Cobb would tell her stories about him. He couldn't stay in a committed relationship even if his life depended on it, but that was three years ago and people change.

She was surprised that he was married with a daughter, and although his wife left him, he still managed to stay married for two years. She felt sudden disappointment. She had secretly hoped that through all those years, a relationship of some sorts would have worked out between them, that one day she would bump into him in Paris. She felt crushed that he was married, because not only did he love another woman, but now he was probably too heartbroken to even want another relationship, now he just wanted to focus on Isabel and his job. She wasn't too sure of everything. It was all too awkward for her, she could have sworn that Arthur felt something when he helped her with her luggage, but she could have been imagining it all. It wasn't even her first day there and she felt exhausted from thinking so much about it.

The next morning everything was awkward at first. Arthur would rarely let her do anything, which would frustrate Ariadne. She wasn't sure why he needed her then if he was going to do everything by himself. She had the urge to ask him if he really needed help around the house while he tried to contact Jennifer, but had a feeling that he would get angry, she asked anyways, and later regretted it.

"Arthur, do you really need me to help you out? You seem to be doing just fine."

Arthur looked up, she never noticed his eyes. They were filled with hurt and sadness, but somehow all that went away when he would look at her. "I don't need your help. Cobb assumed I would though just because I didn't handle it well when I woke up that morning and realized my wife left me without reasoning."

"What happened?" Ariadne hoped she wasn't being too nosy about it.

"I just woke up one morning and found a letter where she used to sleep, it said that I wasn't putting effort into our marriage, and that I never loved her, she needed space and time to think about everything, and if it would be a good idea to just get divorced." Arthur sighed and looked down at his feet; his tone of voice changed, and had a hint of sadness. "I tried so hard to keep the marriage together, for the sake of Isabel, but it seems like Jennifer could care less about her. You're the only one that understands how difficult my job can be. You know that sometimes I just have to randomly get up and leave, and you'll be here to watch her. I want to thank you for doing such a huge favor, even if I didn't ask."

Arthur looked back at Ariadne, his expression changed again; he seemed happy even though he was going through a difficult time, she knew then that she did the right thing. He needed someone to talk to. Cobb was his friend, but Ariadne doubted that Cobb understood. He was probably too busy spending time with his children. She wasn't sure how long she would stay around, but she wanted to help a friend heal. He no longer seemed like the stubborn , unforgiving man she met three years ago, he seemed so vulnerable and weak, heartbroken, but yet still in love willing to forgive. Arthur stood up, getting ready to leave the kitchen, when Ariadne asked him one last question.

"What happened to you? You just don't seem like the same person anymore."

Arthur looked back, he was slightly smiling and said, "People change Ariadne, I didn't like who I was, so I changed it." He then went upstairs to his bedroom, hoping that his temptation wouldn't ruin his already damaged marriage.

**I hope all that are reading this are enjoying it so far, Please review I would greatly appreciate it. :D **


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter is a little short, but it's important :D**

**Only in My Dreams**

For the second night in a row, Arthur ran away from his true feelings. He was heartbroken when he woke up that one morning and discovered his bedside empty with a letter. He remembered the pain and anger he felt rushing through his veins as he read it, and later on ripped it to shreds and threw it in the garbage. He had so many conflicting thoughts. He didn't want to divorce Jennifer, because he loved her at one point in his life, but recently he did feel like he was forcing himself to believe that he still loved her, and Jennifer saw right through it, she knew the whole time, that he probably loved another woman, and that's why she left him. _But that doesn't mean she can forget about her daughter!_ He then gritted his teeth. It was true he was being selfish because at the beginning of their relationship, he only pursued her to get Ariadne off of his mind, but she was much worse because she abandoned her own daughter.

Arthur woke up in a different house. He was in Paris again. He turned around and was shocked to see Ariadne sleeping next to him. He quietly stood up to make sure he didn't wake Ariadne up and looked around the room. It had their wedding photos and baby pictures hanging on certain areas of the wall, the children in looked familiar, he quickly realized that the children were supposed to be his and Ariadne's children.

"Why are you awake so early?" said Ariadne in a sleepy tone.

"The children in this picture…"

"What you can't recognize your own children, come back to bed, it's still early." Ariadne lightly patted his side of the bed and motioned him to lie down. Arthur quietly walked back to their bed and slipped under the sheets. He turned his face towards her and kissed her lips. He then whispered in her ear, "I hope I can trust you."

She looked at him and whispered back, "You know you can Arthur."

He woke up with the sweet smell of breakfast. He didn't want to deal with the awkwardness around Ariadne, but he assumed he just had to get used her being around. He sat up, trying to shake off his dream, but as usual, it stayed on his mind. He got dressed and ran downstairs to see what Ariadne needed help with.

**Thanks for reading, Please review :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**The Background Story**

"Need any help?"

Ariadne quickly jumped up, startled by him. "I didn't know you were awake. I'm making breakfast."

Arthur saw as she quickly cut up slices of bread for breakfast, and smiled. He then heard Isabel. He turned around and quickly picked her up.

"You see that girl over there?" Isabel smiled at him and nodded. "She's going to help daddy around the house, because mommy can't help out right now." Ariadne couldn't help but turn around and see for her own eyes. Her heart melted at the sight of Arthur holding his own daughter, trying to comfort her over mother. He loved his daughter; anybody could tell by the way his whole entire face would light up at the sight of Isabel, not only his face, but his energy, he seemed completely different and at ease with fatherhood, his undying love for his daughter almost made Ariadne cry, but she managed to keep it together.

"Isabel say hello to the nice lady, her name is Ariadne." Isabel looked at Ariadne and waved at her, Ariadne waved back; as they sat down to eat their breakfast.

After dropping Isabel off at Pre-school, Arthur hoped he would have the chance to talk to Ariadne alone, to know her a little better. After he arrived at his house he saw Ariadne sitting on the kitchen table, with tears rolling down her face. He put his keys down and rushed to the table.

"What's wrong?" Arthur said with a concerned look on his face.

"It's nothing; I just get a little emotional sometimes." She said trying to wipe the tears off of her face.

"I really want to get to know you better, but please tell me what's wrong? Did I do something?"

Ariadne looked at him; she had nothing to lose, and since she was going to live with him for a while she might as well tell him her life story. "I'm crying because… because, your relationship with your daughter is touching. I sometimes wish I would have that type of relationship with my father." Ariadne stopped for a second to calm down and continued, "You really love your daughter and it's really beautiful."

Arthur couldn't help but smile at her comment, and agree with what she said about his precious Isabel. "What happened with your father?"

"You really want to know my life story, it's quite long Arthur."

"I don't mind, I don't have to pick up Isabel from school until 2." He said as he stretched his back, as if he knew what Ariadne was about to confess was going to be long.

As Ariadne talked about her life, she recalled every single thing she was telling Arthur. She was born in Italy to American parents, Jane and Brian Thornton, who were both involved in business that made them travel a lot. She would move around different countries as a child, but later on, they both decided to own a small business in a tiny Italian town. Ariadne was content with her life. Although she was an only child, she never grew bored, the town she lived in, made everything fun, she could walk in the lavender fields for hours. She learned how to speak Italian and thought she would spend the rest of her life happily living there, and would have described it as a perfect childhood. Tragedy unfortunately struck her happy family when she was 15. Her beloved father suddenly died in a boating accident. It wasn't until then that she felt her whole world crash down, and suddenly her relationship with her mother fell apart. When her mother told her that her father died, she remembered her favorite childhood memory.

It was a hot summer day, Ariadne was around 7, and was walking around the lavender fields, when her mother called her and asked her if she wanted to go out for ice cream. As the they all walked around town, Ariadne then realized the beauty of her town, the architecture it had, it had a 1950's vibe to it, and she then knew what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. Although her mother protested against it, her father encouraged her and pointed out beautiful details, as they all walked around eating their ice cream. It was because of her father that inspired Ariadne to pursue a career as an architect.

Shortly after her father passed away, her mother wanted to move back to America, and would often tell Ariadne that it was pointless for them to live in Italy. No matter how hard Ariadne tried, she was forced to move to America. After graduating from high school, Ariadne wanted to become an exchange student, and chose Paris, and since then she was living there. She liked Paris so much that she wanted to stay there after getting her degree, much to the dismay of her mother. After moving to France, Ariadne would rarely visit her mother, only communicating with her through her phone and letters, still after all these years, their relationship was somewhat strained.

As she finished up telling her story, she noticed Arthur looking at her, nodding to everything she would say.

"Does she know you're here in New York City?"

"No, she lives in LA, with her side of the family. I've been meaning to tell her but I just don't know how I would explain it." Ariadne said, and then imagined how her mother would react if she found out she was in the States.

"That's understandable."

"Well now it's your turn, since we still have enough time."

"Cobb recruited me while I was still in college, I was too young, and he waited until I graduated, so that I could have a back-up plan, and ever since then I have been a point man for an extraction team. End of story." Arthur quickly stood up and continued, "I'm a private person, you're going to have to try harder, darling." He smirked and then went to his office, probably to plan the next person Cobb and his team have targeted. _There is the Arthur I know_. Ariadne smiled, knowing that she was going to enjoy her time in New York City.

**Sorry if it's a little boring, but Ariadne's background story needed to be worked on. Please review :D**


	6. Chapter 6

**New Beginnings**

Six months went by, and Ariadne was still in America. She enrolled in a local university, and kept herself busy while Arthur would go away on his business trips with Cobb, while she would watch Isabel. Although six months have passed, Arthur was still married to Jennifer, since she would refuse to file for divorce, and Arthur still had hope for something, but he at the same time started pursuing Ariadne, he didn't feel sudden guilt, and was ready to move on with his life, and hopefully start a relationship with Ariadne. He didn't feel so awkward around her, and was glad to see things changing; he wanted to reward her for staying at his house for nearly a year.

Arthur patiently waited for hours for Ariadne to get home. He wanted to reward her by making her Italian dinner, but she didn't get home until later at night.

As Ariadne walked in the house, she was shocked to see Arthur sitting at the kitchen table drinking a bottle of wine.

"Arthur? Did your wife finally divorce you?" she said jokingly.

"No, I was waiting for you. I made Italian food, thinking you would come home at the regular time you usually come, and you didn't."

"I'm so sorry. If I would've known, I would have said no to a couple of college friends." Ariadne said, feeling guilty that went out with friends.

"It's fine; you can still enjoy the wine." Arthur said with a mysterious smile on his face.

"I sure will." Ariadne said as she went to sit down to pour herself a glass.

A couple hours later, Ariadne and Arthur were both drunk.

"I have to go to bed now, this is sosososo much fun." Ariadne said as she tried to stop herself from giggling.

"Shhhhhh, you're going to wake up Isabel." Arthur said as he tried to stop Ariadne from getting up from her chair. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back, and gave her a quick kiss on the lips, causing both of them to back away from each other.

"You're married." Ariadne said with unease, as she could feel her heart pounding.

"I know. I shouldn't have done that." Arthur said before putting his arms around her waist and giving her another kiss. Ariadne let Arthur lead the night away, a night that she wouldn't forget, after liking him for many years, and it was there, where he told her his own life story, she knew everything was going to change after that night, she knew then that Arthur finally let his guard down. For a while, they both laid in bed, staring at each other, when a sudden thought came to Ariadne's head. He was still a married man. She wanted him to promise her one thing only.

**Hope you guys enjoyed it, please review :D **


	7. Chapter 7

**New Beginnings, New Confessions**

"Arthur, I don't know where this going to go, but if something is going to work out, you need to be divorced." She said hoping that he wouldn't be offended.

"I know. I'm working on it. I don't want to hurt anybody." He said firmly, "but I don't want to worry about it right now." Ariadne put her head on his chest, as he wrapped his arms around her, trying to ignore his guilt. The next morning Arthur woke up, trying to reel in the night before. He had an affair. Although he hasn't seen his wife in months, he was still married, and he gave into temptation. He was overwhelmed with guilt, because he was determined to fix his marriage and he ruined it. Jennifer didn't have to know, he could just keep it a secret, and stay friends with Ariadne, ignoring what happened the night before. His thoughts were interrupted when Ariadne was out of the bathroom, she smiled at him. It was as if she was trying to reassure him about everything. Arthur suddenly forgot about his previous thoughts, and couldn't help but wrap his arms around her and kiss her.

Arthur continued his affair with her. He would sometimes feel guilt, but then realize that there was no point in fixing something that couldn't be fixed. Their relationship kept getting better and better, and Isabel would even call her mom sometimes. Isabel even started to call her "mom" which would make him even happier that his daughter loved her. He suddenly felt like a teenager, his relationship with Ariadne reminded him of his youth; there was something about her, her willingness to help him that made him relax. He knew he was in love with her, she was the one. Suddenly their relationship declined. Ariadne was often monotone about things, and she would cancel their dates. She would even rarely let Arthur wrap his arms around her, just when things were going great, everything went downhill.

As usual Ariadne felt awful. She knew she was being distant towards Arthur but she couldn't help it. Their relationship was never going to anywhere; he just wanted a friend to help him heal. She wanted to cry from how frustrated she felt. _What about all that time I spent with him, he can't fake those feelings right? _She remembered their silly dates that they would go on, sometimes they would just lie outside on his backyard staring at the sky, wondering about their future, as if they were young again. She didn't understand what the problem was. Isabel was starting to call her "mom", but she knew there was something that wasn't genuine about their so called love. _He doesn't love me, he considers me a friend, even if we are dating we will always be friends, he will never love me, like I do._ She knew that their once wonderful relationship was going to come to an end soon.

She heard someone walking down the stairs and noticed it was Isabel. Isabel rubbed her eyes and put her arms up for Ariadne to pick her up.

"You want me to tuck you in bed?" Ariadne asked her. Isabel nodded and Ariadne picked her up and tucked her in bed. She quietly tried to leave her bedroom but was startled when she saw Arthur. She fell in love with such a handsome man, but why would he show any interest in her? She quickly wanted to go to her bedroom to avoid any conversation with him, but he asked her an interesting question.

"Do you ever want any?" he asked as he followed her.

"Someday. When I have stability in my life." She calmly said.

"You have stability with me."

"Arthur, you're married, and you're still young. I don't think you want more children." She looked at him, and realized what she said hurt him. His brown eyes quickly showed hurt.

"Did I do something wrong? Are you mad at me?" He looked at her quickly before staring at the ground.

"No, I'm not mad."

"Then why are you distant? Are we even dating anymore Ariadne? Look I know what we're doing is wrong, but I promise you that I'm-"

"I can't explain it to you, Arthur. I just know you're going to get mad at me." She said before entering her bedroom and locking the door. She felt foolish for keep her secret for the past several months. She knew she should have told Arthur earlier, but she was overridden with shame that she couldn't even enjoy it, her pregnancy. She was already around 4 months, and decided to wear sweaters around his house so he wouldn't notice. Ariadne didn't know how she was going to tell Arthur, but she knew it would have to be soon.

**So this chapter was inspired by 500 Days of Summer, I decided to give a fun side to Arthur, please review :D **


	8. Chapter 8

**Truth Hurts**

Arthur felt disappointment. He wasn't sure of what he was doing wrong, but he knew that his relationship was on the verge of a terrible break up. He hated not knowing what was going on, the only things he was given were subtle hints, and even then he couldn't understand what she meant. She kept getting sick, but he doubted that it would be the reason for her to suddenly change her behavior. Feeling overwhelmed he called Cobb and asked for advice.

"Arthur, what's up? You need me to babysit Isabel?"

"It's Ariadne. I think we're going to break up. I don't know what I did wrong."

Cobb sighed. "Have you thought that maybe she feels uncomfortable that you're still married? How long is it going to take for Jennifer to sign the divorce papers?"

"I know, but I thought we were past that point. She's just distant towards me; it's not the same anymore."

"I don't know what to tell you. You need to talk to her, and try to contact Jennifer."

"Thanks." He put his phone down and rubbed his eyes. He was tired of being stressed out but as always, Cobb was right. He needed to try and rush Jennifer into finalizing the divorce, and he had to speak with Ariadne about their relationship.

Ariadne wanted to throw up at the sight of her breakfast. She was feeling sick for the past couple of months, and Arthur didn't suspect a thing, but he had to find out soon. Her wardrobe now consisted of black and big sweaters to cover her stomach, but she noticed that she would find Arthur staring at her. It wasn't until that exact day, that he was waiting in her bedroom, looking through her closet that she decided to tell him.

"Why do you always look like you're ready to go to a funeral?" He said staring at her all black in her closet.

"Black is flattering." She quietly said.

He then quickly put his hands around her waist, when he backed away after feeling a slight kick.

"Is this what you have been hiding from me? How long have you known?" He said angrily.

"I tried to tell you a couple months ago, but I know you-"

"A couple months ago?! Bullshit! You should have told me when you found out! I'm still married; I wanted to fix my marriage…" Arthur trailed off, too angry to even say anything else.

Ariadne suddenly felt anger, "So now you're trying to 'fix your marriage'? There is no point in that, Arthur. You had an affair, your wife hasn't even bothered to come and visit you, let alone Isabel, and it's been how long again? Over six months?" She wanted to stop, but couldn't stop talking, she was angry at him. "She doesn't want you back. I understand though. I was nothing special, just some person to come and help out around the house; you gave into your temptations. I'll just leave; I'll move back to Paris, you don't even have to be in the baby's life." Ariadne walked towards the door and opened it. "Arthur please get out. I need to start packing. You don't want your wife find out you have an illegitimate child."

Arthur looked at her, in disbelief that she would accuse him of not wanting to be in his child's life, but Ariadne wouldn't listen.

"Ariadne, you know that's not what I meant, I'm just scared. I'll be divorced soon."

"You've been saying that since we started dating, I'm pretty sure it's not happening."

"You think I'm the only one that's guilty here?! You lied to me this whole time. Our relationship is based on a lie. Why did you wait so long to tell me?" Arthur realized he was shouting at her.

"This relationship was never meant to be serious Arthur. I don't know why you are so angry when I'm giving you an easy way out."

Arthur raised his eyebrows at her. "So that's what you think?! Fine go to Paris, leave; we can't be in a functioning relationship." He stormed out of her room and went to his in anger. He was to blame, but so was Ariadne. He couldn't believe that throughout their whole brief relationship, she was pregnant. She lied to him constantly about everything. Feeling guilty at the way he yelled at her he decided to get up and go apologize to her, as he walked past her room he heard her crying. He lightly knocked on the door, only for her to attempt to push him away, he still manage to get in her room. Once he was inside he saw her closet was already empty. He sat on her bed and looked around her room.

"Are you okay?"

"I've never felt so uncertain about my life; I just don't know how I'll manage my life again." She said trying to wipe her tears.

"You could stay here. I never told you to leave, you made that decision. I didn't mean what I said, I was just angry." Arthur laid back on her bed, and faced her.

"I can't stay. Not here with you, there is too much going on in your life. I can't be in a relationship with a married man, you promised you would be divorced by now, and you're not."

Arthur numbly nodded his head; he knew she was right this time. She had every right to be angry at him. He was constantly putting off his divorce and that not only ended what would be a great relationship, but a friendship as well. "That doesn't mean you have to move halfway across the world."

"I belong in Paris; it's where I was meant to be. Look I already said you don't have to be in her life, I can just update you on how she's doing."

Arthur put his hand on her growing stomach and felt a kick. "A girl? That's ridiculous, she's going to be my daughter too. I have to see her."

Ariadne felt her heart break. She fell for Arthur far too soon, and put her trust in him, but she knew she had to break off a relationship that was never going to work; she bit her lip trying not to cry, but failed to do so. "I just... I can't see you. I can't be around you. I don't want my daughter to have an unstable life. If we stay together, it would only be because of our daughter, not because you and I want to, and you don't want to repeat that do you?" She felt a tear roll down her cheek. She leaned in and kissed him for the last time, and turned away from him, knowing that what she said probably hurt him a lot. She heard him get up and leave her room.

**What will Arthur do next? Sorry I took so long to put up this chapter I've been busy this week :0 Please review :D **


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry for the long wait, I had really bad writers block :P**

By the end of the week Ariadne was gone, and moved into her old apartment in Paris, which left Arthur slightly depressed. It broke his heart to see Isabel cry over Ariadne calling her "mom".

"Ariadne is my mommy!" Isabel cried as she saw her leave in a taxi.

Arthur went to put her to bed, but Isabel wouldn't calm down and she continued to cry.

"She'll be back soon okay? And soon you're going to be a big sister." Arthur said trying to cheer her up, knowing that they would have to travel to France once it came near Ariadne's due date. "Now go to sleep, you have school tomorrow." He tucked Isabel in bed, and kissed her forehead. He checked his pocket, and unfolded a piece of paper Ariadne gave him. She didn't want phone calls from him, but instead letters and pictures. That same day, Jennifer decided to stop by his house to pick up some clothes.

"Jennifer, where the hell have you been?" Arthur angrily said to her.

"I just came by to pick up some things I left." Jennifer said trying to slowly walk up the stairs.

"So you're just going to casually walk in here and not ask how your daughter is doing. Some mother you are." He walked towards her and continued ranting. "Do you have any idea how selfish you've been? Isabel doesn't acknowledge you anymore. I want the divorce papers signed."

"Let me tell you something, Arthur. I never said I was a great mother. I never wanted to be responsible for her, I was too young, and it was a mistake, as was our marriage. You never loved me, at least not in a deep way. I'm going to sign the papers, and I'll hand custody over to you. I will never have to deal with Isabel or you ever again." Jennifer said, as she looked around the house.

"I need the divorce papers now. You're right, I loved you but not in the way I love Ariadne. Oh in case you're wondering who she is, she's my ex-girlfriend who lived here for nearly a year, she's also pregnant with my child." He quickly said, hoping that it would make Jennifer sign the papers sooner.

"I don't even know what to say right now. Enjoy the rest of your life; I pity the other women you date." Jennifer quickly left his house slamming the door in the process. _I guess that means those divorce papers are going to be finalized soon. Ariadne's going to love this._ Arthur smiled at the thought of her. His life suddenly felt empty without her. He missed hearing her talk with Isabel in the mornings while eating breakfast; he wished he would be able to experience her pregnancy with her. He had hurt her, and now he regretted putting off his divorce. _I'm selfish. But I'm going to win her back; I'll show her that I really do love her. _Arthur was determined to win her back, by proving to her that he was ready, that their brief relationship was much more than just a "fling". But first he had to meet with Cobb and speak about his early retirement.

**Please review :) I'm going to give the readers a hint, the ending will be really shocking. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Early Retirement**

"What do you need to talk about Arthur?" Cobb was slightly angry that Arthur called him for a short meeting. He rushed over to his house thinking it would be about their next job, but instead it turned out to be about himself.

"We need to talk about my retirement."

"Your retirement?" Cobb said as he looked around his house and saw a bunch of luggage everywhere. "Arthur, you're 26, are you sure about retiring at such a young age? And what's with the luggage?"

"I want to retire already. I have a family; I need to start spending more time around my children." He said in a serious tone.

"So you're going to Paris?"

"I can't miss the birth of my daughter."

"Speaking about that, how did your parents handle that? And I thought she was due in two months." Cobb said trying not to trip over the entire luggage that was all over his house.

Arthur felt sudden anger. "Not too well." His parents were angry that his ex-girlfriend was pregnant with his baby even though they had a short relationship. He put off his meeting with Cobb for a while, but as Ariadne's due date approached he no longer felt the need to keep a dangerous job. "I want to surprise her, by showing up early. I want to help her out, she just moved into a house, and she's going to need it."

"I've tried not to say anything, but Arthur, if you liked Ariadne in a different way, why didn't you file for divorce earlier?"

Arthur looked at him in disbelief. "You're going to judge me too? Cobb, I get enough bullshit from my family and ex-wife I don't need that from a friend."

"And as a friend I'm telling you that this is partially your fault. You got yourself in this situation. At least Jennifer didn't date anyone, you did, and that ended in a pregnancy. Wait it out a couple years and then retire."

"I know it's my fault. I was just too stubborn to file for divorce. My kids need stability. I can't keep doing this. Leaving for weeks and then coming back. I can get killed."

"Arthur, you're going to need the money now more than ever." Cobb said before leaving his house. Arthur knew Cobb was right, there was no way he would let Ariadne struggle, and he had to keep his job for now.

Ariadne lied down her bed. She was exhausted, although she didn't do much that day, her pregnancy was making her back and feet ache. _If only Arthur and Isabel were here._ She bit her lip as she tried not to let her hormones take over. She missed them. She missed watching Isabel run around in the backyard as Arthur and her watched. She touched her expanding stomach and said, "Just two more months' baby." She looked over at her dresser and grabbed an envelope and opened it. It was a letter from Arthur.

Ariadne,

I just wanted to let you know that Isabel misses you a lot. I talked to Cobb about my early retirement and he suggested that I should wait a couple more years. I think he's right. I know my job is dangerous, but he's right. I'll see you in a couple of weeks.

-Arthur

Ariadne smiled at the letter, and then she noticed something. She looked at it again and reread it. _I told him I wasn't due yet. _He was going to surprise her. She felt uneasy at the thought of him randomly showing up in her apartment, she wasn't sure on how she would handle it. She knew they had a bad break-up, which also ended a friendship. _What am I so afraid of? Why am I running away from him? _She was frustrated and emotional, she felt conflicted about Arthur. She wanted to dislike him and to cut all ties with him, because he promised her something and he broke it, she felt so much anger towards him as he showed his true colors when he found out she was pregnant, it was almost as if he wanted to run away from everything that would cause a problem. Then again, she wanted to see him, she wanted Isabel to have a mother, to have someone that would always be there for her. _Do I love him?_ She wasn't sure about the question she asked herself, she wanted the relationship to grow, but she felt some fear, she feared that it would only be her putting any effort. Her heart pounded at the thought of opening her front door one day and to see him there, looking at her, smiling.

**I apologize if I'm going too fast-paced, but unfortunately I've been extremely busy lately, so I need to pick up the pace, so I can frequently update the chapters, Please review :) **


	11. Chapter 11

**In Paris**

Arthur looked at the address hoping that it was the right one. _I can't wait to see her reaction. _He kept a tight grip on Isabel who was sleeping in his arms as he walked through a trail that led to Ariadne's front door. He looked at her house before knocking on the door. It looked like a two story house with a decent sized back yard; the design for the house seemed retro. _Typical Ariadne. _He silently knocked on her door, and waited as he felt the morning Paris heat. He heard someone walking downstairs and unlocking the door. She made a loud gasping noise and covered her mouth as she ran off to her room, leaving the door open. He slowly walked in and whispered, "Ariadne?"

"You can put Isabel in the guest bedroom; it's down the hall on the right." Her voice sounded weak, as if she were crying.

Arthur slowly walked down the hall paying attention the details of her house, the walls were a cream color and had framed pictures, the majority of them were her family, but two of them caught his eye. As he approached the room, he noticed she framed one of her ultrasounds, nearly right next to that one, was a picture of him kissing Ariadne's cheek, while she's smiling. He stood and stared at both pictures, wondering why Ariadne would keep a picture of them when they were dating. He quietly put Isabel in the bed, shut the door and walked around her spacious house. Her voice suddenly startled him.

"Why are you here? I told you, you don't have to be here."

"I want to be. You can't really be here by yourself, what if you fell and you had no one around you to help you out?"

"My mother, Jane is coming to help me out." She went to the kitchen to sit down on one of the chairs.

"You don't get along with your mother, how long do you think she's willing to stay here? I'm certain that she wasn't necessarily amused that you are pregnant." He followed her and sat down across from her.

"You're right, I don't have the greatest relationship with her, but at least she's supportive, unlike yourself." She was tempted to yell at him, but Isabel was sleeping. "Well what about your family? What do your parents think about all of this?"

"I have been supportive or else I wouldn't be here now would I?" He breathed deeply hoping that he wouldn't lose his temper. "They are ecstatic that they get to be grandparents again." He felt awful for lying to her about her grandparents, but it was for everyone's safety.

"I have another guest bedroom upstairs you can stay in it for now." She stood up, getting ready to take a nap. "If this is to prove to everyone that you're a man and that you can win a woman back, you're wrong." She went to her bedroom, angry and confused about everything.

Arthur looked at her as she left, hoping that he would do the right thing. His phone rang and he answered it. To his surprise it was Eames.

"Why stick in the mud, don't you know there is a job for you this upcoming Monday?"

"Tell Cobb I'm retiring. I'm not doing it."

Eames sarcastically laughed and said, "You're retiring?! Arthur the extraction is this Monday; there is no way Cobb could find another point man."

"First off, you're an asshole. Second, of course he can, there are dozens of back up point men Cobb has in case I were to get killed." Arthur suddenly felt relaxed; he hoped it would make Ariadne proud.

Eames lowered his voice, as if he didn't want anyone to hear him. "If this is about what you did when you lived in L.A, then you know you can't run away, they will eventually find you and try to kill you. Quite frankly darling, I think it's selfish of you to run off to Paris, putting everyone in danger. You know your 'job' can offer you protection."

Arthur couldn't help but sarcastically laugh Eames. "You think protection can help me? Ha! They are going to kill me within the next couple of years, and I don't think it's selfish for me to spend time with my family. You shouldn't be the one talking about selfishness Eames when you can't keep a consistent relationship."

"It's good to know you don't have a stick so far shoved up your ass."

"Ha ha bloody ha." He hung up on him and muttered, "Asshole." He was going to be serious about retiring this time. He wanted to show Ariadne that he was going to be there for their family every day, while he could. _I'll make sure to keep my distance if they do find me._ For now he would be there for Ariadne, helping her get all of her needs. 

**I hope none of you mind for me to give Arthur a dark background that you'll see in the next upcoming chapters. Sorry about the wait, I was slightly discouraged after noticing that I wasn't getting any reviews so I stopped for a bit, please review it, so I can improve on my upcoming chapters, I will greatly appreciate it. :) **


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